4 Water Workouts Perfect for a Summer Slimdown

Swimming laps can be repetitive, boring, and cause you to lose interest in your pool workout in favor of laying on your favorite float. Instead, try one of these water workouts that promises cardio and strength training. Best of all, you can intersperse them throught the day, so you can still enjoy quality float time. By the end of the summer, these moves will give you a body that will blow you out of the water.

1. Treading Water Intervals

Interval training, or HIIT, blasts calories with a spurt of all out energy alternated with rest. Similar to sprint intervals, next time you’re in the pool tread water as hard as you can for 30 seconds, then float to the surface and take a rest. Do this on and off 30 times over your afternoon in the water, and according to Active.com, you’ll burn 300 calories without leaving the water.

2. Cannonball

This move engages the core and will get you on your way to a toned, flat stomach. The water provides resistance, getting your heart rate up as you burn calories. Self recommended floating with a pool noodle as balance, but you can also face your back to the pool wall and rest your arms on the side. Make sure you’re feet won’t touch the bottom, and then lower legs until straight with toes pointed and thighs pressed together. Slowly, using your abs, pull your legs back up and hold for two seconds. Complete 20 reps and you’re on your way to a tight midsection.

3. Squat jump

Give your joints a break and try your favorite strength training exercises in the shallow end. Livestrong says that performing jumping exercises in the pool reduces stress on your joints by 90 percent. First, make sure that when you squat down the water is only chest deep. Then, start doing sqaut jumps as you would on land, sqaut down until your thighs are parallel with the bottom of the pool, and then spring up holding your arms above your head landing in another squat. Do 10 then take a break, repeating throught the day.

4. Arm toning moves with a ball

Grab a buoyant ball and stand so that your arms are underwater, with the water line hitting your shoulders. Float the ball out in front of you, and using both hands, slowly try and press the ball underwater, using both arms equally. Fitday says the water resistance and the tendancy for the ball to float will force you to use extra energy to submerge the ball, and toning your arms in the process. Do 10-12 reps and then take a two minute break, completing a total of 3 sets.